2008 Woodie Awards
Sound Check
Richa Agarwal
Issue date: 9/9/05 Section: Arts & Features
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Thirty year-old Sufjan Stevens isn't just an extremely talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, or else he'd simply be competing with the likes of Stephin Merritt. And he's not indie-rock's poster child, even though he maintains his own independent record label and is incredibly good-looking. Perhaps he's just quirky, with a 50 States project as his claim to fame. No - this isn't the kind of map exercise you did in third-grade history class - it's a highly ambitious effort to record an album for each U.S. state.
In 2003 we were bestowed with the musical incarnation of Stevens' home state in Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lakes State. Exactly two years and four days later, Stevens released Illinois (2005, Asthmatic Kitty). Only the second album in his purported 50 states project, it is doubtful whether Stevens will complete this large undertaking, especially when he still takes the time to drop masterpieces like Seven Swans (2004, Sounds Familyre) in between. But an incomplete project would still leave us with several breathtaking albums in which Stevens tries to capture certain places, events and names that are tied to that state. This isn't simply a historical or geographical lecture; it is Stevens emotionally and musically linking himself to the world around him, with an absolutely beautiful result.
If you're not familiar with Stevens already, he is a refreshingly earnest artist in an increasingly jaded landscape. You will not find pretension or obscurity-for-the-sake-of-obscurity in his work. His art reflects what he cares about in the most important sense, so that when he speaks about his Christianity it is not in an isolating or dogmatic manner, but in a way that would touch even the most extreme of atheists. Musically, what makes Stevens unique is his penchant for the banjo and the ability to blend folk-rock with ornate melodies with indie-pop. His songs are soothing, like the sound of waves thinning out at shore. But he remains eclectic through the use of various instruments, including the saxophone, piano, glockenspiel, vibraphone and church organ. Vocally, he is a tenor with incredible range.
In 2003 we were bestowed with the musical incarnation of Stevens' home state in Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lakes State. Exactly two years and four days later, Stevens released Illinois (2005, Asthmatic Kitty). Only the second album in his purported 50 states project, it is doubtful whether Stevens will complete this large undertaking, especially when he still takes the time to drop masterpieces like Seven Swans (2004, Sounds Familyre) in between. But an incomplete project would still leave us with several breathtaking albums in which Stevens tries to capture certain places, events and names that are tied to that state. This isn't simply a historical or geographical lecture; it is Stevens emotionally and musically linking himself to the world around him, with an absolutely beautiful result.
If you're not familiar with Stevens already, he is a refreshingly earnest artist in an increasingly jaded landscape. You will not find pretension or obscurity-for-the-sake-of-obscurity in his work. His art reflects what he cares about in the most important sense, so that when he speaks about his Christianity it is not in an isolating or dogmatic manner, but in a way that would touch even the most extreme of atheists. Musically, what makes Stevens unique is his penchant for the banjo and the ability to blend folk-rock with ornate melodies with indie-pop. His songs are soothing, like the sound of waves thinning out at shore. But he remains eclectic through the use of various instruments, including the saxophone, piano, glockenspiel, vibraphone and church organ. Vocally, he is a tenor with incredible range.